Oakland snapped its three-game losing streak by beating the toughest starter in the division, and maybe the league.

With Brandon McCarthy's jersey hanging in the dugout as a message that his team was thinking about the starter, who had brain surgery Wednesday night, the A's beat Felix Hernandezand the Mariners 6-1 on Friday at Safeco Field. Oakland regained the AL's top wild-card spot, thanks to Baltimore's loss.

A's rookie right-hander A.J. Griffinoutpitched the former Cy Young winner, extending an impressive streak in the process: In each of his first 10 major-league starts, Griffin has allowed no more than three runs and two walks. That's the most such starts since at least 1918.

Griffin joins Todd Burns as the only Oakland pitchers to start their careers with 5-0 records. Griffin is the first to do it with all his wins coming as a starter.

In Hernandez's previous 11 career home starts against Oakland, he had been 7-3 with a 2.11 ERA. The A's 11 hits off Hernandez were the most by a team against the Seattle pitcher since May 11, and they included a three-run homer by catcher George Kottarasin the fourth.

Considering who it came against, manager Bob Melvinsaid, the homer took on extra magnitude.

"When you get a 4-1 lead against Felix, it feels like a 10-run home run," Melvin said.

Griffin added: "Oh, man, that was awesome, I got pretty excited. I jumped up, I was cheering pretty hard. He really got ahold of that ball."

Outfielder Jonny Gomessaid before the game that the team planned to hang McCarthy's jersey in the dugout to show support for the A's top starter, who was struck in the head by a line drive Wednesday.

"It's an emotional thing, a really sad thing to deal with, but we have a job to do and we played hard," Kottaras said. "He wished us luck before the game."

Straily to start: Melvin said that rookie Dan Straily, recalled Friday, will start Tuesday in what would have been McCarthy's spot.

Straily, like other A's rookies, thinks of McCarthy as a mentor, and he called the circumstances "extremely bittersweet."

Straily made three starts with Oakland in August, but he said McCarthy had an influence even in that short time.

"Mac took me under his wing; he was so generous with his time and answering questions," he said. "It was a short stretch, but he helped me in countless ways."

A's on deck

Saturday

at Mariners

6:10 p.m. CSNCA

Anderson (3-0) vs. Iwakuma (6-3)

Sunday

at Mariners

1:10 p.m. CSNCA

Milone (11-10) vs. Vargas (14-9)

Monday

vs. Angels

7:05 p.m. CSNCA

Haren (10-10) vs. Parker (9-8)

Leading off

Anderson vs. M's: Seattle wasn't a team that has missed Brett Anderson much. He has a 1.90 ERA in 12 career starts against the Mariners, the second lowest ever vs. Seattle by a pitcher with a minimum of 10 starts against them.